


Inverse

by Maya_Koppori



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Marinette, Gen, basically just wanted to hurt chat, dont look at me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 13:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5542190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maya_Koppori/pseuds/Maya_Koppori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug is everything Marinette wants to be. Why wouldn't she want to keep that power forever? All she has to do is give Hawkmoth what he wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inverse

_ You know he'll never love you as you are. Clumsy, awkward, useless. Don't you want to remain as Ladybug forever? _

"Hm." Hawkmoth's resonant voice clouds around him, cloying and dark. The villain stands tall in the circle of light the single window of his lair provides, twirling his cane with a smirk. "Now this is interesting."

Chat Noir's catlike vision swims as red and black invert before his eyes. This isn't right. The akuma can't affect Ladybug, can't make her eyes turn that frightening shade of red as they fix on him. But it has, and they are, and he takes a step back in spite of himself. "Ladybug?" It's happened before he can really start to process it. He's always been hyper aware of her- she is his lady, after all- but this... This is something completely different. Her transformation has flipped, an obsidian suit dotted with crimson spots. The magical disk glitters with dark magic at her side. 

The Miraculous, never absent from Ladybug's earlobes, fall into her open palm. A small streak of red flies through the air, and Chat lunges to catch it. He finds a small kwami shivering against his palm, stunned. Its large eyes are dilated, darting about as if unseeing.

Chat quickly stows the kwami in his pocket and looks to Ladybug. Her akuma transformation is still holding, despite the absence of the Miraculous. Her expression blank, the heroine turns from Chat and moves mechanically to kneel at Hawkmoth's feet. She offers her Miraculous up to him and he snatches them without hesitation. 

"Ladybug, no!" Chat cries, incredulous. "What are you doing?"

Ladybug sits prone, showing no awareness of their exchange. 

"She can't hear you, Chat Noir. The only voice she will listen to is mine," Hawkmoth laughs. He lifts his cane and points it at Chat. The shimmering outline of translucent wings frames his face, pulsing with power and authority. "Ladybug, take his Miraculous."

"Yes, sir," Ladybug says. She rises fluidly and turns once more to Chat Noir. There's no recognition in her eyes. 

"Ladybug, listen to me." Chat backs away as she advances. "You know I'm not going to fight you."

"You'll have to, if you want to keep your Miraculous," Hawkmoth jeers. 

Chat ignores him, looking deeply into Ladybug's eyes. He reaches out a hand. "My lady, stop this. I know the real you is in there. Just give me your disk and let me break it. We'll find another way to purify the butterfly."

When Ladybug's hand twitches for her disk, Chat's heart soars. But it's short lived. The next moment he has his staff in his hands and the clang of metal on metal is stinging his hands. Ladybug withdraws the disk and fires once again, aiming straight for him. Chat blocks once more and retreats, but she follows him with more speed than he expects. 

Chat dodges when he can, but Ladybug is a better fighter than he is when she has moral restrictions. Without them, she's just plain fighting dirty. The steel wire of her disk wraps around Chat's staff and yanks it from his hands, sending it flying to the far corner of the room. He scrambles after it, but Ladybug steps into his path. She twirls her disk threateningly and advances. Chat retreats one step after another until his back hits the wall. The lone door is locked from the outside, slammed closed after they entered Hawkmoth's lair, and he couldn't possibly fit through the tiny opening in the window. He's trapped. 

"Please, my lady," he begs again, holding out his hands in a helpless gesture. "Please. I don't want to hurt you." Chat curses under his breath as another light on his ring disappears. If he doesn't find a way to finish this soon, it's over. 

Ladybug's scarlet eyes narrow and focus on his hands. She abruptly clips her disk back to her belt and launches herself at him. 

Chat ducks and rolls under her, but she makes a grab for his tail and drags him back to her. They descend into a desperate, grappling struggle. Ladybug aims kicks and punches that Chat can't bring himself to return. He only keeps his right fist clenched to ensure his Miraculous's safety as he blocks attacks and tries futilely to escape her grip. 

Eventually, his method yields. Ladybug pins him to the floor, knees squeezing his sides painfully while she holds his hands down by the wrists. They're both breathing hard. 

"Well played, Ladybug," Hawkmoth says approvingly. "Now take the ring."

"No," Chat whispers. "Ladybug, don't. You can't."

She doesn't meet his gaze. She leans forward, bringing her knee up to settle heavily on his stomach and keep him in place. Her eyes are locked on his hands as she reaches for his ring. A solution comes to Chat's mind. 

_ I'm sorry,  _ Chat thinks before coiling his body upwards, bringing his legs up and into Ladybug's backside to send her sailing over his head. There's a sickening crunch behind him. He leaps to his feet, sunk low in a defensive stance, and nearly retches when he sees the source of the sound. 

Ladybug's chin is scraped and bleeding, and her nose- it's a mangled mess under her mask. But somehow worse than the injuries that Chat has caused his partner, is the blank look in her eyes and the strength in her stance. She still feels as fresh as she did at the beginning of the fight. She doesn't even feel the break in her nose. Chat realizes with horror that she isn't feeling anything at all. He could break her arms and legs she'd just keep coming at him. 

"Hawkmoth!" Chat yells, searching out the villain. He's still standing by, as if he were merely a curious bystander instead of the cause of his rage, only barely in check. "Make her stop. I- I'll give you the Miraculous. Just make her stop fighting me and release her."

Hawkmoth gives him an amused smirk. "Good kitty." He snaps his fingers in an offhanded gesture. 

Ladybug finally drops her clenched fists, wobbling on unsteady feet. A hand goes to her shattered nose and she whimpers, uncomprehending. Her eyes find his and for the first time there's something like recognition in them, although she remains still and silent. 

Chat takes a deep, rattling breath and reaches into his pocket. The red kwami from before might not disappear along with his outfit, but he's not going to chance it. Setting her on his shoulder, he approaches Hawkmoth with one hand on his ring. A soft beep emits as another light dies out. Only one remains. 

How many times has he seen that final light and despaired, wishing for more time as a carefree vigilante? How many times has he prayed for just a few more moments to be his true self before putting on his real mask? Giving up Chat Noir is unthinkable- it's like throwing away his own heart. But with a brief glance back at Ladybug, his decision is made. "Plagg, scat."

Starting at his feet, the magic peels away from his body. Plagg is ejected from the Miraculous, and lands lightly on his shoulder to attend the other kwami. He closes his eyes briefly and when he opens them again, he's no longer Chat Noir. He's Adrien Agreste, and that's how he's going to stay. 

"Here." Adrien twists the Miraculous from his finger and holds it out. "We had a deal. Release Ladybug." He's met with only a stunned stare. Hawkmoth, normally so composed and self assured, is shaken to his core. 

The red kwami lets out a small gasp. "Adrien?"

"Adrien." Hawkmoth finally breathes, as if he hadn't believed it until he heard the name. There's an expression in his eyes that's impossible to place, but somehow familiar. 

Adrien squares his shoulders. "I don't know how you know me, and I don't care. Let us go."

Hawkmoth still hasn't moved, clutching his cane tightly in one hand and Ladybug's earrings in the other. But a confused noise behind Adrien prompts him to turn, arm dropping back to his side. 

Ladybug takes a shaky step forward, as if walking blind. Her eyes are blown wide, alert and searching his face. "Adrien?"

His heart pounds, and his head spins with possibilities. It's the first she's spoken to him since the akuma got to her. Is she just repeating after Hawkmoth? No, Adrien realizes with a start. Her kwami knew him. So she must know him, too. He smiles at her. "Yes, my lady."

Before she can respond, Hawkmoth's strangled yell draws Adrien back. Plagg and Ladybug's kwami are zooming around him, poking at his eyes and pulling his clothes. He swats at them in anger, and in the process drops Ladybug's earrings. "No!"

"Got it!" The red kwami snatches the earrings out of the air and zips off with them. 

Adrien quickly scrambles away from Hawkmoth, cramming his own ring back on his finger. "Plagg-!"

The handle of Hawkmoth's cane catches the back of his head. He's unconscious before he hits the floor. 

\---—————————---—————————

It's the sound of sirens that wakes him. There's a pain at the base of his neck that hurts more than anything he's ever felt, but as Adrien comes closer and closer to consciousness he's able to appreciate that fact that he's only injured, and not worse. When he finds the strength to open his eyes the first sight that meets him is sheer darkness, and in a moment of panic he fears he’s gone blind. But he blinks, and his lashes catch on soft fabric stretched across his eyes. He lifts the- is it a scarf? A sash?- and finds the crescent moon, stark and bright against the pitch black sky. 

He scrunches his eyebrows and frowns. He doesn't remember the moon being so mobile. And... smelly? "Plagg?"

His kwami cheers and takes another bite from his cheese. "You're awake! About time, sleepyhead, Ladybug got to have all the fun!"

Adrien groans and pushes himself into a sitting position. Concrete digs red indentations into his palms. He's sitting alone in a narrow alleyway under the twinkling stars. Across the street, several police cars are gathered around... Well, that used to be Hawkmoth's lair. The warehouse is now a smoldering pile, chunks of rock littering the street in wake of a gaping hole in the building. "What happened?"

"It was so cool!" Plagg exclaimed. He finishes the last of the cheese with a gulp and starts a pantomime fight. "Hawkmoth knocked you out with his cane while we transformed, and you went down so hard that Ladybug could hear it! And then she looked at Hawkmoth, and she got this crazy look on her face and broke the akuma disk and transformed with Tikki again! And Hawkmoth knew he was toast so he blew up his lair and ran away! And then-!"

"Plagg! Enough!" Adrien winces. It's enough to make his head hurt. "Where's Ladybug? Is she alright? How did I get here?"

Plagg sobers up at Adrien's question. "She carried you here and went to talk to the police. She said she'd be back soon to help you get home. "

“Home?” Dread wells in Adrien’s stomach. He looks down at the cloth in his hands, confused by the red and black spots. “But she- my identity is still safe, isn’t it? This is her Lucky Charm. She used it before I changed back, right? Akumas never retain their memories of their time controlled by Hawkmoth.”

“Oh, yeah,” Plagg says, grinning suddenly. “But that was mainly in case anyone stumbled across you here. Not so much for herself.”

Adrien frowns as his head is pierced by another sharp pang. “Plagg, you’re not making any sense.”

“He never has,” a new voice adds. “Not in five millennia.” The familiar red kwami floats up to them and nudges Plagg in a friendly way, ruffling his feelers before directing a smile at Adrien. “It’s nice to meet you again, Chat Noir. My name’s Tikki.”

Adrien holds out a single finger for the kwami to shake. “Likewise. Wait.” He looks around, craning his neck and squinting into the dark alley. “If you’re here…”

“She’s hiding,” Tikki huffs. “I told her that you two should just reveal yourselves to each other, since I know who you are now. But she’s being ridiculous.”

“I am  _ not _ ,” comes a protest from the darkness. 

Adrien’s heart skips a beat. He stands up way too fast, wobbling momentarily as his head swims. “Ladybug?”

“Chat Noir.” The voice is close behind him, but he doesn’t turn. He’ll let her be the one to make the first move. 

She doesn’t. There’s only silence as they stand in that alley, not facing each other. Adrien stays completely still, knowing that one wrong move will make Ladybug bolt. Possibly for good.

“Ladybug,” Tikki says gently. “I know you’re scared, but it’s time.”

“No! I can’t- Tikki, you know how I feel.”

The pain in her voice makes Adrien want to be sick. If she’s that distrustful of him, that terrified of knowing who he is and vice versa, then maybe… Maybe this is a bad idea.

“Then tell him.” Tikki lands on his shoulder, apparently comfortable with her new perch. “If you’re going to drag this out beyond all reasonable action, at least tell him why.”

“Tikki…” Adrien slowly reaches up to pat the kwami’s head. “It’s okay. My lady owes me no explanation.” Saying the words outside of the mask is a little dizzying. Somehow they come out sounding awkward and contrived. He hadn’t realized how much he relied on Plagg for support in things like this.

“You’ll be disappointed,” Ladybug blurts suddenly. He hears a loud smack, as if she didn’t mean to say it and clapped her hand over her mouth. The mental image brings a smile to his face. “I’m not the same person outside of all… this.” She’s clearly indicating their superhero identities. “I’m clumsy and awkward, and I can’t even say two words to people sometimes without completely embarrassing myself.”

Adrien gives an exaggerated shrug. “So? You think I’m like this in public?” He chuckles dryly. “When I’m not transformed, I have to be composed and proper all the time. I can’t just let loose or do what I want. I can only really be me when I’m Chat Noir. I’ve got another side too.”

“T-That’s completely different!” 

Adrien takes a moment to savor the fact that Ladybug just  _ stuttered  _ while talking to him. He’s never heard her like this, never heard her when she’s not completely confident and in control. In spite of that though, this whole scenario seems eerily familiar. He just can’t put his finger on why. “Is it really? Look, Ladybug- I knew from the beginning that you might not always act the way you do while transformed because I’m the same way. But you’re you right now, aren’t you? And I’m still me. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to change my feelings just because I can finally see all of your face.”

Ladybug’s quiet gasp strikes him still. “But- But when you do that thing. The one where you flirt with me all the time? I thought-”

“Like I said, I go a little over the top when I’m Chat Noir. But that doesn’t mean my feelings aren’t real as myself too.” His fists clenched at his sides, Adrien takes a deep breath. “I loved you when we met, and I love you now, and I’ll love you in the future, whoever you turn out to be. I just hope you can find it in you to allow that.”

She’s silent after that. Adrien glances at Tikki out of the corner of his eye, but the kwami’s normally expressive eyes have gone blank in concentration, gauging Ladybug’s reaction. 

“And you  _ don’t  _ already know who I am?”

“I promise you I don’t. I have a feeling you go to school with me, but that’s only a theory. Tikki only told me her own name. And I told you, didn’t I? It doesn’t matter.”

“... Even if I turned out to be Chloe?”

Adrien cheers internally.  _ He was right. They do know each other.  _ “You’re not.”

“What if I was Alya?”

“Again, you’re not.” Adrien smiles sadly and shakes his head. “We’ve been in the same room with these people. I’m not going to be fooled.”

“What if I was Marinette?”

The words ‘you’re not’ catch in Adrien’s throat before they can quite leave his lips. Past battles fly through his mind, and he realizes he can’t pinpoint a single time he’s seen Ladybug and Marinette Cheng in the same place. Maybe with Timebreaker… But no, there were two Ladybugs. Everyone in that incident except Alix was still suspect. Slowly, things start to add up. The familiar stuttering. Her odd reactions anytime someone mentioned Paris’s heroes. He’s always assumed it was because of her close friendship with Alya-  _ Alya, of course, so that’s how Ladybug knew her, why couldn’t he see it before _ ? Adrien laughs suddenly, running a hand madly through his messed up hair. Everything fit. It was her. 

“Chat?” Ladybug’s wary voice draws his attention. “W-Why are you laughing? I told you, you’d think less of me. I knew this was a bad idea-” Her shoes clap lightly against the concrete as she turns, ready to run.

“Marinette!” Adrien calls, still not turning. But the footsteps stop, and that’s all that counts. He holds in his laughter, but can’t help his smile from coloring his voice. “Stop. I’m not- I’m not disappointed. I’m just furious with myself for being so blind.”

“You don’t  _ sound _ furious,” Plagg pipes up from his other shoulder, but Adrien shushes him with a wave of his hand. 

“What do you mean?” Marinette demands, and there she is, that’s the Marinette he saw when she proved herself the true designer of that stupidly allergenic feathered hat, the Marinette who he overheard adamantly sticking up for him when their classmates tried to suggest that he’d stolen Chloe’s bracelet, the Marinette who he had even considered to resemble Ladybug at times.

“I mean that maybe I should have shown up to class with the mask. Maybe  _ night vision  _ would have been enough to make me turn around and realize that the girl I’d been looking for was a row behind me all year.”

There. He’s said it. He counts to five under his breath, and on count four Marinette lets out a shocked gasp. “ _ Adrien Agreste?” _

He takes that as an okay to turn, and when he does he finds Marinette staring up at him, completely slack-jawed with a prominent blush on her cheeks. Adrien takes one of her hands and brings it to his lips for a brief kiss. “You called, my lady?” Heat rises to his own cheeks. How he’s even handling this, he’ll never know.

Marinette doesn’t retract her hand, but brings the other one up to her mouth in shock. She lowers her head, and Adrien goes into a full blown panic when she starts shaking.

“Marinette? Mon dieu, I’m sorry!” Adrien steps back, holding both hands up helplessly. She’s crying- why on earth is she crying? “I’m sorry, what it is? I know it’s a bit of a shock-”

“ _ How many times did Ladybug turn you down?”  _ Marinette throws back her head and laughs, breathless and wheezing. “I’m such an idiot! All this time, I’ve been trying to string two words together to talk to you, and- and you’ve been  _ flirting with me  _ for months! Ahahaha!!!”

Adrien gets caught up in her laughter, and leans on the alley wall for support when he doubles over. “I pulled out all the stops, didn’t I?”

“You were so  _ cheesy _ ! I never thought Adrien could say lines like those with a straight face!”

Their laughter mingles in the alley, Tikki and Plagg joining in. There will be more to talk about, and more villains to fight, but for that moment it's just the two of them and their stupid, crazy, miraculous criss-crossed lives. 


End file.
